Finding the Five Best Churrascarias in Rio de Janeiro

A ‘churrascaria’ is a restaurant that serves meat grilled straight from a barbecue, or ‘churrasco.’ Often these restaurants offer ‘rodízio’ (all-you-can-eat) where the waiters come to your table with a skewer of a specific cut of meat and offer to slice some freshly onto your plate; other restaurants also have buffets of vegetables and sides in addition to the meat, and some only offer set portions at fixed prices.

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Churrasco (barbecue) is a Brazilian and Latin American institution; and churrascarias are a staple of the Carioca food scene. These culinary institutions offer bountiful selections of every cut, type and quantity of meat to satisfy even the most voracious of carnivores. Here is a selection of five of the best that the ‘Cidade Maravilhosa’ has to offer.

Fogo de Chão, in Botafogo, is well-frequented by the rich and famous of Rio, and while it isn’t cheap, it offers one of the best rodízios (all-you-can-eat) options in the city, with an incredible array of different cuts of meat, photo internet reproduction.

Majórica (Flamengo)
To start off a list of Rio’s churrascarias, why not highlight one of the old established greats? Tom Le Mesurier, from Eat Rio, suggests this charming, traditional churrascaria as his favorite, “Opened in 1961, this place has a real old-school vibe.” He explains.

“Smartly dressed old waiters deliver your meat, cooked to perfection on the huge charcoal grill in the center of the main dining room. They don’t do the rodízio (all-you-can-eat) option, but they have huge steaks, both from Brazil and also imported from Uruguay and Argentina.”

In addition to the meat, they serve up some tasty sides, Le Mesurier suggests to “order the ‘batata soufflés’ (puffed up little pillows of crispy fried potato) and the dreamy ‘espinafre com creme’ (creamed spinach) and you have the perfect accompaniment for your chosen meat.”

Fogo de Chão (Botafogo)
With the closure of the mighty Porcão, Fogo de Chão is perhaps the premier big-venue churrascaria in Rio’s Zona Sul (South Zone). Their restaurant seats up to 400 guests and offers a view of one of the main sights of the city, Pão de Açucar (Sugarloaf mountain).

Belinda Seixas, from Caminhos Language Centre, would recommend Fogo de Chão as a great place for beginners. “Fogo de Chao in Botafogo. It’s the famous one. A lot of people love that one. And all the famous people go there.”

Carretão (Ipanema)
For those who feel a bit overfed reading this, fear not, for there are churrascarias that cater to non-meat eaters too. Belinda Seixas, from Caminhos Language Centre, isn’t the biggest fan of red meat, but still whole-heartedly recommends Carretão in Ipanema.

“To be honest, I don’t eat meat, but I really like Carretão. They have a really good buffet, even for vegetarians. They also do a seafood paella and really good desserts.” Carretão offers both the rodízio (all-you-can-eat) option alongside a great buffet of delicious hot dishes, garnishes, salads, cold cuts, cheeses, plus a Japanese option.

Though not quite a churrascaria, Galeto SAT’S cooks some mean chargrilled meat in its firepit, and its twenty-four-hour opening policy has made it an unwavering favorite among Copacabana residents since it first opened its doors in 1976, photo internet reproduction.

Galeto SAT’S (Copacabana)
Although not strictly a churrascaria, Galeto SAT’S is a firm favorite with owner of Winehouse and Cru Natural Wine Bar, Dominic Parry. “It’s not officially a churrascaria, but I’m really keen on Galeto SAT’S in Copacabana, where they’ve got an open fire pit and they do really, really good chicken hearts and nice bits of beef too, and of course galeto.”

Galeto SAT’S is also famous for its chopp (draft) beer and its wide range of around 100 cachaças. Its round-the-clock opening also lends it a quintessentially Carioca atmosphere of democratic eating.

Churrascaria Palace (Copacabana)
Founded in 1951, this is old-school Copacabana, serving traditional churrasco as well as oysters and other delicacies. The prices reflect its pedigree and the place does attract its fair share of tourists, but for a typical churrascaria, this is still the place that Dominic Parry, of Winehouse and Cru Natural Wine Bar, would recommend.

“Although it’s pretty touristy, they do some really good cuts and they have a bit of everything.” Parry adds. Look out for the cuts invented by the house, such as the butterfly picanha cut (rumpsteak), which is now popular throughout Brazil, as well as the lamb shoulder and the prime ribs.

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The Rio Times is an English language publication dedicated to the English speaking foreign community in Rio de Janeiro and Brazil. Beyond keeping up with local events, The Rio Times will also cover issues of specific interest to foreign nationals here. Our mission is to provide the community with local information, and improve their understanding of the Cidade Maravilhosa and Brazil.